JP7625753B1 - Autonomous mobile object control system and autonomous mobile object control method - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To prevent an autonomous moving body from falling over or falling off when getting on a boarding/alighting board or a step.
[Solution] In one embodiment of the autonomous mobile body control system, the passenger conveyor is provided on the upper surface of each of a plurality of steps and on the upper surface of the boarding and alighting board, and is equipped with sign information on which position information is recorded, and the autonomous mobile body is provided facing downwardly of the main body and is equipped with a detection unit capable of reading the sign information, an acquisition unit that acquires position information from the sign information read by the detection unit, and a driving control unit that adjusts the position of the autonomous mobile body based on the acquired position information and predetermined position information of the autonomous mobile body.
[Selection diagram] Figure 9

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an autonomous mobile object control system and an autonomous mobile object control method.

Maintenance and inspection work on passenger conveyors such as escalators, which have multiple steps that move in an endless manner, is usually performed by maintenance personnel. In recent years, technology has become known in which maintenance and inspection of escalators as passenger conveyors is performed by autonomous mobile bodies such as maintenance robots.

As such, when performing maintenance and inspection of the passenger conveyor using an autonomous mobile body, the autonomous mobile body needs to board the passenger conveyor from the boarding and alighting board onto the steps.

JP 2023-78778 A WO 2018/10982

For this reason, it is desirable to be able to adjust the stopping position of the autonomous mobile body on boarding and alighting boards and steps in a way that prevents the autonomous mobile body from falling over or falling off, or to more accurately determine the position for inspection and other work.

The autonomous mobile control system of the embodiment includes a passenger conveyor and an autonomous mobile body that can move autonomously and board the passenger conveyor. The passenger conveyor includes a plurality of steps that are connected together endlessly and move, a boarding and alighting board from which the steps are extended or retracted at an entrance where passengers get on and off the passenger conveyor, a drive device that moves the plurality of steps, and sign information that records position information and is provided on the upper surface of each of the plurality of steps and the upper surface of the board. The autonomous mobile body includes a drive unit, a detection unit that is provided facing downward from a main body unit and is capable of reading the sign information, an acquisition unit that acquires position information from the sign information read by the detection unit, and a travel control unit that controls the drive unit to control travel and adjusts the position of the autonomous mobile body based on the acquired position information and predetermined position information of the autonomous mobile body.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of a robot control system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an escalator in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a top surface and a side surface of a step according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an upper surface and a side surface of a board according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of details of a marker according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the control device according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a server in the elevator cloud according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a server in a robot cloud according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the robot according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an overall flow of a robot control process according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the reading sensor according to the embodiment reads a marker. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an overall flow of a robot control process according to the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of the position correction process according to the embodiment.

The following describes the embodiment with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a robot control system 1000 according to an embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the robot control system 1000 of this embodiment mainly includes an escalator 1, a control device 100 provided on the escalator 1, a controller 150, a control room 160, a server 210 in an elevator cloud 200, a server 310 in a robot cloud 300, a monitoring center 400, and a robot 500 as an autonomous moving body.

In this embodiment, one or more escalators 1 are installed in a building 3 (an example of a building) such as an office building or an apartment building. In the example of FIG. 1, only a single escalator 1 is shown, but multiple escalators 1 can be installed. In addition, a control device 100 is provided corresponding to each of the multiple escalators 1.

First, the details of the escalator 1 will be described.
Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the escalator 1 according to the embodiment. Note that Fig. 2 also shows a robot 500.

As shown in FIG. 2, the robot control system 1000 includes an escalator 1 and a robot 500.

The escalator 1 includes a number of steps 110, a balustrade panel 191, a handrail belt 192, a boarding/alighting entrance 193, a boarding/alighting board 104, a skirt guard panel 105, an inner deck 106, an outer deck 107, an inlet 108, a key switch 152, a control device 100, and a drive device 120. The escalator 1 is an example of a passenger conveyor.

The steps 110 are connected in an endless manner. Each step 110 is made of, for example, aluminum die casting, and is supported by a truss 170 at a set inclination angle. Each step 110 moves in a circular manner as a stepped platform between the boarding/alighting entrances 193 on the upper and lower floors by a drive motor (not shown) of the drive unit 120. In other words, each step 110 moves in a circular motion between the boarding/alighting entrances 193 on the upper floor and the boarding/alighting entrances 193 on the lower floor. In this way, each step 110 becomes a foothold for users of the escalator 1. Here, the boarding/alighting entrances 193 are the places where people get on and off the escalator 1.

The balustrade panels 191 are installed on both sides of the multiple steps 110 in the width direction of the escalator 1. In other words, a pair of balustrade panels 191 are installed facing each other with the multiple steps 110 in between. The balustrade panels 191 are made of, for example, transparent glass or acrylic.

The handrail belt 192 is configured so that users can place their hands on it while riding on the escalator 1. The handrail belt 192 is an endless belt that is movably wrapped around the periphery of each of the pair of balustrade panels 191. The handrail belt 192 moves in sync with the movement of each step 110 by the drive motor of the drive device 120. The handrail belt 192 is made of, for example, rubber.

The boarding and alighting boards 104 are provided at the entrances 193 located on the upper and lower floors. The boarding and alighting boards 104 serve as footholds for users when getting on and off the escalator 1, and are installed so as to be removable. A comb-tooth shaped comb plate 104c is provided at the end of the boarding and alighting board 104 facing the steps 110. The drive motor and the folded steps 110 are stored under the boarding and alighting board 104. Note that hereinafter, the comb plate 104c may be referred to as comb 104c.

In other words, the multiple steps 110 arranged in a staircase-like pattern between the upper and lower floors are approximately horizontal to each other near the boarding and alighting boards 104 of the upper and lower floors, and are pulled out from below the boarding and alighting board 104 on the entrance side and pulled in below the boarding and alighting board 104 on the exit side.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the top and side of the step 110 according to the embodiment. Figure 3(a) shows the top surface of the step 110, and Figure 3(b) shows the side of the step 110. As shown in Figure 3(a), a cross-shaped marker 151b is provided on the top surface of the step 110. The marker 151b is painted on the top surface of the step 110.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the top and side of the boarding and alighting plate 104 according to the embodiment. Figure 4(a) shows the top surface of the boarding and alighting plate 104, and Figure 4(b) shows the side of the boarding and alighting plate 104. As shown in Figure 4(a), a cross-shaped marker 151a is also provided on the top surface of the boarding and alighting plate 104. The marker 151b is painted on the top surface of the boarding and alighting plate 104.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the details of the markers 151a and 151b according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the markers 151a and 151b are provided with a pattern. This pattern indicates the position information (i.e., position coordinates) of each of the markers 151a and 151b on the step 110 or the boarding/alighting board 104.

Markers 151a and 151b are examples of sign information. Hereinafter, when there is no distinction between markers 151a and 151b, they will be referred to as marker 151.

Returning to FIG. 2, the skirt guard panel 105 extends in the extension direction of the escalator 1 near both widthwise ends of the steps 110. The skirt guard panel 105 is composed of two pairs of end panels 105f installed near the boarding/alighting entrances 193 on the upper and lower floors, and multiple intermediate panels 105m installed between the end panels 105f on the upper and lower floors.

That is, a pair of end panels 105f are installed facing each other with the steps 110 in between near the boarding and alighting board 104 on the upper floor. These end panels 105f are installed in a position that straddles the front and rear of the comb plate 104c in the direction of movement of the multiple steps 110.

The other pair of end panels 105f are installed facing each other with the steps 110 in between near the boarding and alighting board 104 on the lower floor. These end panels 105f are installed in a position that straddles the front and rear of the comb plate 104c in the direction of movement of the multiple steps 110.

A number of intermediate panels 105m are arranged between the end panels 105f installed on the upper and lower floors on one side of the steps 110 in the width direction to connect them. In addition, a number of intermediate panels 105m are arranged between the end panels 105f installed on the upper and lower floors on the other side of the steps 110 in the width direction to connect them.

The inner deck 106 covers the upper end of the skirt guard panel 105. The outer deck 107 is installed adjacent to the inner deck 106 with the parapet panel 191 in between. In the space enclosed by the skirt guard panel 105, the inner deck 106, and the outer deck 107, for example, devices connected to an operation panel (not shown) and other power distribution devices are stored.

The inlets 108 are installed near the upper and lower floor entrances 193 so as to be connected to the respective end panels 105f. Of the upper and lower floor entrances 193, a pair of inlets 108 installed on the entrance side each have a handrail belt 192 reeled out. Also, of the upper and lower floor entrances 193, a pair of inlets 108 installed on the exit side each have a handrail belt 192 reeled in.

A control device 100 is provided below the boarding and disembarking board 104. The control device 100 controls the escalator 1. Details of the control device 100 will be described later.

On both the upper and lower floors, a key switch 152 is provided on the intermediate panel 105m on the step 110 side from one side of the inlet 108. The key switch 152 is connected to the control device 100 by wire or wirelessly.
Key switch 152 can be operated by a maintenance person or the like. When key switch 152 is operated, a switching signal is sent to control device 100, and control device 100 switches the operation mode of escalator 1 between normal operation and maintenance operation. Maintenance operation is an operation for carrying out inspection work. Here, key switch 152 is an example of an operation unit.

Next, the control device 100 will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 6, the control device 100 according to the embodiment is connected to a key switch 152 by wire or wirelessly.
As shown in FIG. 6 , the control device 100 mainly includes a communication unit 101, a control unit 102, and a drive control unit 103.

The communication unit 101 is a processing unit that communicates with the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150.

The control unit 102 performs various controls of the escalator 1. Specifically, the control unit 102 switches between normal operation and maintenance operation in response to an instruction from the key switch 152 or an instruction from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200.
The drive control unit 103 sends a command to the drive device 120 to control the driving of the cyclic movement of the multiple steps 110 .

Returning to FIG. 1, the controller 150 is connected to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 via a network. The controller 150 is an intermediary device that controls communication between the control device 100 and the server 210 and has an interface function and a hub function for mediating various signals exchanged between the control device 100 and the server 210. The controller 150 is configured as a computer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc.

The manager of building 3 is present in the control room 160 and issues various instructions to the control device 100. The manager of the control room 160 also receives various instructions from the control device 100 by email or the like via a PC or terminal device.

The server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 instructs the control device 100 via the controller 150 to perform various controls on the escalator 1, and receives various requests and data from the control device 100 via the controller 150. The server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 is connected to the monitoring center 400 (an in-house server) and the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 via a network. The server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 will be described in detail later.

An in-house server (not shown) is installed in the monitoring center 400. The in-house server is a server installed in an affiliated company of the escalator 1, and collects information necessary for the maintenance management and remote monitoring of the escalator 1 from the escalator 1. This allows maintenance personnel to deal with the malfunction that has occurred by referring to the information necessary for maintenance management collected in the in-house server of the monitoring center 400. In addition, when functions or services are executed through the elevator cloud 200, the in-house server of the monitoring center 400 can be accessed as necessary to refer to building and escalator information, or the maintenance personnel can obtain information necessary for managing the escalator 1.

The server 310 of the robot cloud 300 receives various requests and various data from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200. The server 310 of the robot cloud 300 is connected to one or more robots 500 in the building 3 via a network, and transmits various instructions to each of the robots 500. The server 310 of the robot cloud 300 will be described in detail later.

Next, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 will be described.
Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 7, the server 210 mainly includes a control unit 211, a communication unit 212, and a storage unit 220 as a general computer configuration.

The storage unit 220 is a storage medium (memory device) such as a ROM or a RAM. Various programs are stored in the storage unit 220.

The communication unit 212 is made up of a communication device having a specific communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the server 210 and the controller 150, and between the server 210 and the server 310 in the robot cloud 300.

The control unit 211 consists of a hardware processor (CPU).

Next, the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 will be described.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 according to the embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 8, the server 310 mainly includes a control unit 311, a communication unit 312, and a storage unit 320 as a typical computer configuration.

The storage unit 320 is a storage medium (memory device) such as a ROM or a RAM. Various programs are stored in the storage unit 320.

The communication unit 312 is composed of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the server 310 and the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200, and between the server 310 and the robot 500.

The control unit 311 is composed of a hardware processor (CPU). The control unit 311 controls various processes related to the escalator 1 and the robot 500.

Next, the robot 500 will be described.
Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the robot 500 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 8, the robot 500 mainly includes a camera 506, a microphone 507, a speaker 504, various sensors 505, a reading sensor 512, a control unit 501, a communication unit 502, an image capture control unit 511, an acquisition unit 508, a travel control unit 509, a drive unit 503, and a storage unit 510.

The camera 506 captures images of the surroundings of the robot 500 and sends the captured images to the imaging control unit 511.

The microphone 507 is an input device that inputs sounds around the robot 500 .
The speaker 504 is an output device that outputs various contents as sound.

The reading sensor 512 is a sensor that reads the marker 151a on the boarding/alighting board 104 and the marker 151b on the steps 110, and is, for example, a camera.

Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of installation of the reading sensor 512 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, the reading sensor 512 is provided on the bottom surface of the main body 516 of the robot 500 facing downward.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the reading sensor 512 according to the embodiment reads the marker 151. When the robot 500 moves by driving the wheels 515 and gets on the boarding/alighting board 104, the reading sensor 512 reads the marker 151 as shown in Figure 11 (a). As shown in Figure 11 (b), the cross shape of the marker 151 indicates the XY axis. The pattern on the marker 151 as shown in Figure 5 indicates the position coordinates as position information. The reading sensor 512 is an example of a detection unit.

Returning to FIG. 9, the various sensors 505 include, for example, distance sensors, vibration sensors, human presence sensors, acceleration sensors, load sensors, etc., but are not limited to these.

The communication unit 502 is made up of a communication device with a specific communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the robot 500 and the server 310 in the robot cloud 300.

The storage unit 510 is a storage medium (memory device) such as a ROM or a RAM. Various programs are stored in the storage unit 510. In this embodiment, the storage unit 510 also stores the correct position coordinates where the robot 500 should be positioned on the boarding/disembarking board 104 and the steps 110 as predetermined position information. This predetermined position information can be changed by an administrator, etc.

The control unit 501 is composed of a hardware processor (CPU). During normal operation of the escalator 1, the control unit 501 reads and executes various programs from the storage unit 510, thereby causing the robot 500 to perform various operations.
The imaging control unit 511 controls imaging by the camera 506 .

The acquisition unit 508 acquires position information from the pattern of the marker 151 read by the reading sensor 512.

The driving unit 503 drives the robot 500 to move.
The travel control unit 509 controls the driving of the drive unit 503 according to instructions from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300, thereby controlling the travel of the robot 500. When the reading sensor 512 reads the marker 151, the travel control unit 509 according to this embodiment drives the robot 500 to ride on the boarding and disembarking board 104 and the steps 110. Then, the travel control unit 509 adjusts the position of the robot 500 based on the position information acquired by the acquisition unit 508 and predetermined position information stored in the storage unit 510 as a correct position.

Specifically, the driving control unit 509 compares the position information acquired by the acquisition unit 508 with the predetermined position information stored in the memory unit 510, and if there is a difference between the two, it controls the drive unit 503 to move the robot 500 to the position indicated by the predetermined position information.

If the reading sensor 512 cannot read the marker 151 on the board/alight board 104 or the step 110, the travel control unit 509 does not allow the robot 500 to travel, but stops it at the board/alight board 104 or the step 110. As a result, if the robot 500 is located far away from the marker 151, it will not board the board/alight board 104 or the step 110.

Note that the above configuration of the robot 500 is just one example, and the robot may further include an input unit such as a touch panel.

Next, a robot control process performed by the robot control system 1000 according to this embodiment configured as above will be described.
FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an overall flow of a robot control process according to the embodiment.

Here, an example will be described in which the robot 500 climbs onto the boarding/alighting platform 104 and the steps 110 to perform maintenance and inspection work. Note that the purpose for which the robot 500 climbs onto the boarding/alighting platform 104 and the steps 110 is not limited to maintenance and inspection work.

It is assumed that the escalator 1 is in normal operation (S100).
In this state, the communication unit 212 of the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 transmits a maintenance operation instruction to the control device 100 of the escalator 1 to instruct the control device 100 of the escalator 1 to perform maintenance operation for maintenance and inspection work (S101). In the control device 100, when the communication unit 101 receives the maintenance operation instruction via the controller 150, the control unit 102 stops the operation of the escalator 1 (S102). The maintenance operation is an operation in which the movement of the steps 110 is temporarily stopped by stopping the operation of the escalator 1, and then, as described below, when the robot 500 gets on the steps 110, the steps 110 are gradually moved to allow the robot 500 to perform the maintenance and inspection work.

Next, in the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, the communication unit 212 transmits a maintenance start instruction to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 to instruct the start of maintenance and inspection work on the robot 500 (S103).

Next, in the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, when the communication unit 312 receives a maintenance start instruction from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, it transmits the received maintenance start instruction to the robot 500 (S104).

When the communication unit 502 of the robot 500 receives a maintenance start instruction from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, the travel control unit 509 controls the drive unit 503 to move to the boarding/alighting platform 104 of the escalator 1 (S106). Then, the robot 500 executes a position correction process (also called a position adjustment process) on the boarding/alighting platform 104 (S106a).

After the position correction process, the robot 500 mounts the steps 110 at the position adjusted by the travel control unit 509 (S107). When mounting is complete, the robot 500 executes position correction process on the steps 110 (S106b). Details of the position correction process of S106a and S106b will be described later.

After the position correction process, the communication unit 502 of the robot 500 transmits a boarding completion notification to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S108). This boarding completion notification is transmitted from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 (S109), and is further transmitted from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 to the control device 100 of the escalator 1 (S110).

In the control device 100, when the communication unit 101 receives a boarding completion notification from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150, the control unit 102 starts the operation of the escalator 1 (S111). Then, the drive control unit 103 drives the drive motor (not shown) of the drive device 120 to move the steps 110 (S112).

While the steps 110 are moving, the robot 500 performs maintenance work on the escalator 1 (S113). When the maintenance work by the robot 500 is completed and the steps 110 on which the robot 500 is riding reach the disembarking floor, the drive control unit 103 of the control device 100 stops the steps 110, thereby stopping the maintenance operation (S114).

When the robot 500 confirms from the image captured by the camera 506 that the steps 110 have stopped (S115), the travel control unit 509 controls the drive unit 503 to cause the robot 500 to descend from the steps 110 to the boarding and alighting board 104 (116). Next, the robot 500 is moved out of the boarding and alighting board 104 by the travel control unit 509 (S117).

Next, the communication unit 502 of the robot 500 transmits a maintenance completion notification to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S118). This maintenance completion notification is transmitted from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 (S119), and is further transmitted from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 to the control device 100 of the escalator 1 (S120). This completes the series of maintenance work.

Next, the position correction process by the robot 500 in S106a and S106b will be described in detail.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of the position correction process according to the embodiment.

First, the reading sensor 512 reads the marker 151 (S301). Then, the travel control unit 509 judges whether the marker 151 has been read (S302). If the marker 151 has not been read (S302: No), the travel control unit 509 judges that the position of the robot 500 on the boarding/alighting board 104 or the steps 110 is significantly deviated from the correct position, and ends all processing, including the processing of FIG. 12, without allowing the robot 500 to board the boarding/alighting board 104 or the steps 110 (S306).

On the other hand, if the marker 151 is read in S302 (S302: Yes), the acquisition unit 508 acquires position information from the pattern of the read marker 151 (S303).

Next, the traveling control unit 509 compares the position information acquired by the acquisition unit 508 in S303 with the position information stored in the storage unit 510, and determines whether there is a difference between the two (S304). If there is no difference between the two (S304: No), the robot 500 is already in the correct position, and the process returns to the caller.

On the other hand, if there is a difference between the two in S304 (S304: Yes), the traveling control unit 509 controls the driving unit 503 to move the robot 500 to the correct position, which is the position specified by the predetermined position information in the memory unit 510, thereby adjusting the position (S305). After that, the process returns to the caller.

In this manner, in the robot control system 1000 according to this embodiment, the escalator 1 is provided with markers 151 on the upper surface of each of the multiple steps 110 and on the upper surface of the boarding and alighting board 104, on which position information is recorded, and the robot 500 is provided facing downward from the main body 156 and is provided with a reading sensor 512 capable of reading the markers 151, an acquisition unit 508 that acquires position information from the markers 151 read by the reading sensor 512, and a travel control unit 509 that controls the drive unit 503 to control travel and adjusts the position of the robot 500 based on the acquired position information and predetermined position information stored in the memory unit 510 of the robot 500.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the position of the robot 500 is adjusted based on the position information on the marker 151 and the predetermined position information of the correct position stored in the storage unit 510, and then the robot 500 is caused to ride on the boarding/disembarking board 104 or the steps 110.
It is possible to prevent the robot 500 from falling or falling off when it gets on the boarding/disembarking plate 104 or the steps 110. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to more accurately adjust the positioning of work such as inspection.

In addition, in the robot control system 1000 according to this embodiment, the travel control unit 509 of the robot 500 compares the acquired position information with predetermined position information, and if there is a difference, controls the drive unit 503 to move the robot 500 to the position indicated by the predetermined position information.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, when there is a difference between the position information on the marker 151 and the predetermined position information of the correct position stored in the memory unit 510, the robot 500 is moved to the position indicated by the predetermined position information, the position is adjusted, and then the robot 500 is placed on the boarding/alighting board 104 or the steps 110. Therefore, according to this embodiment, when the robot 500 is placed on the boarding/alighting board 104 or the steps 110, it is possible to prevent the robot 500 from falling or tipping over. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the position determination for work such as inspection can be more accurately adjusted.

In addition, in the robot control system 1000 according to this embodiment, the markers 151 are painted on the upper surface of each of the multiple steps 110 and on the upper surface of the boarding and alighting board 104.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to adjust the position of the robot 500 on the boarding/alighting board 104 and the steps 110 using a simple method. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the robot 500 from falling over or falling off when it gets on the boarding/alighting board 104 or the steps 110 using a simple method. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to more accurately adjust the positioning of work such as inspection using a simple method.

In addition, in the robot control system 1000 according to this embodiment, the travel control unit 509 of the robot 500 travels the robot 500 so that it gets on the boarding and alighting board 104 and the steps 110 if the reading sensor 512 can read the marker 151, and stops the robot 500 at the boarding and alighting board 104 and the steps 110 if the reading sensor 512 cannot read the marker 151.

For this reason, in this embodiment, if the reading sensor 512 cannot read the marker 151, it is determined that the position of the robot 500 is significantly deviated from the correct position, and the robot 500 is stopped at the boarding/alighting board 104 and the steps 110 and is not allowed to board. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the robot 500 that is significantly deviated from the correct position can be prevented from boarding the boarding/alighting board 104 or the steps 110, and falls or falling off can be more reliably prevented.

(Modification)
There are various modifications to the above embodiment.
In the above embodiment, the markers 151 are painted on the upper surfaces of the boarding/disembarking board 104 and the steps 110, but the markers 151 may be formed by magnetic painting. In this case, the main body of the robot 500 can be made difficult to move by the magnetism.

The markers 151 may also be painted with invisible ink on the upper surfaces of the board 104 and the steps 110. In this case, users will not be aware of the presence of the markers 151, improving the visibility of the board 104 and the steps 110.

The markers 151 may also be provided on the upper surfaces of the boarding and alighting boards 104 and steps 110 using a method other than painting.

For example, the markers 151 may be attached to the upper surface of each of the steps 110 and the upper surface of the boarding/alighting board 104 with adhesive tape or the like. In this case, the markers 151 can be removed as needed, and it is possible to select whether or not to adjust the position of the robot 500 depending on the application, thereby further improving the convenience of the escalator 1.

In addition, for example, the control device 100 may be configured to provide an electronic display (e.g., a liquid crystal display) as a display device on the upper surface of each of the multiple steps 110 and on the upper surface of the boarding and alighting board 104, and to display the marker 151 on the electronic display. In this case, the display content of the marker 151 can be further changed depending on the application, making it possible to further improve the convenience of the escalator 1.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the control panel 100 receives a maintenance operation command from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 (S101 in FIG. 12), and the control panel 100 starts the maintenance operation of the escalator 2 (S102 in FIG. 12). Also, the control panel 100 receives a boarding completion notification from the robot 500 via the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 and the server of the elevator cloud 200, and starts the escalator operation (S108, S109, S110, S111 in FIG. 12), but this is not limited to the above.

For example, when the robot 500 receives a maintenance start instruction, the robot 500 itself can be configured to operate the key switch 152 of the escalator 1 to switch to maintenance operation and start the maintenance operation. The robot 500 itself can also be configured to operate the key switch 152 of the escalator 1 to end the maintenance operation and switch to normal operation, and even to start operation after boarding (i.e., moving the steps 110). In this case, it is also not necessary for the robot 500 to send a maintenance completion notification to the control panel 100 via the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 and the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200.

In addition, when configured in this manner, the robot 500 and the key switch 152 can be provided with a short-range wireless communication function such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) as the robot 500 operates the escalator 1, and the robot 500 itself can be configured to issue operating commands to the key switch 152 via this short-range wireless communication.

The robot 500 according to the above embodiment and modified example is equipped with a control device such as a CPU, a storage device such as a ROM or RAM, an external storage device such as a HDD or a CD drive, a display device such as a display device, and an input device such as a touch panel, and has a hardware configuration that utilizes a normal computer.

The control program executed by the robot 500 according to the above embodiment and modified example is provided in advance in a ROM or the like.

The control program executed by the robot 500 according to the above embodiment and modified example may be configured to be provided by recording it in an installable or executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, or DVD.

Furthermore, the control program executed by the robot 500 according to the above embodiment and modified example may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading it via the network. Also, the control program executed by the robot 500 according to the above embodiment and modified example may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

The control program executed by the robot 500 according to the above embodiment and modified example has a modular structure including each of the functional units described above (control unit 501, communication unit 502, imaging control unit 511, acquisition unit 508, and driving control unit 509), and in terms of actual hardware, the CPU reads out the control program from the ROM and executes it, loading each of the above units onto the main memory device, and the control unit 501, communication unit 502, imaging control unit 511, acquisition unit 508, and driving control unit 509 are generated on the main memory device.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

1...escalator, 100...control device, 193...entrance, 104...boarding and alighting board, 110...steps, 120...driving device, 150...controller, 151, 151a, 151b...marker (sign information), 152...key switch, 160...control room, 200...elevator cloud, 210...server (elevator server), 300...robot cloud, 310...server (robot server), 500...robot (autonomous moving body), 501...control unit, 502...communication unit, 503...driving unit, 504...speaker, 505...various sensors, 506...camera (imaging unit), 507...microphone, 508...acquisition unit, 509...travel control unit, 510...storage unit, 511...imaging control unit, 512...reading sensor, 515...wheel, 516...main body, 1000...robot control system.

Claims (5)

An autonomous mobile object control system including a passenger conveyor and an autonomous mobile object capable of autonomously moving and riding on the passenger conveyor,
The passenger conveyor includes:
A plurality of steps that are connected in an endless manner and move;
A boarding and alighting plate from which the steps are extended or retracted at an entrance where the passengers get on and off the passenger conveyor;
A drive device that moves the steps;
and sign information provided on an upper surface of each of the plurality of steps and an upper surface of the boarding/alighting board, the sign information having position information recorded thereon;
The autonomous moving body is
A drive unit;
A detection unit that is provided facing downward from the main body and is capable of reading the label information;
an acquisition unit that acquires position information from the sign information read by the detection unit;
a driving control unit that controls the driving unit to control driving and adjusts a position of the autonomous moving body based on the acquired position information and predetermined position information of the autonomous moving body;
An autonomous mobile control system comprising: The traveling control unit compares the acquired position information with the predetermined position information, and when there is a difference, controls the drive unit to move the autonomous moving body to a position indicated by the predetermined position information.
The autonomous mobile control system according to claim 1 . The sign information is painted on an upper surface of each of the plurality of steps and an upper surface of the boarding/alighting board.
The autonomous mobile control system according to claim 1 . The travel control unit travels the autonomous moving body so as to ride on the boarding and alighting board and the steps when the detection unit can read the sign information, and stops the autonomous moving body at the boarding and alighting board or the steps when the detection unit cannot read the sign information.
The autonomous mobile control system according to claim 1 . An autonomous mobile object control method executed in an autonomous mobile object control system including a passenger conveyor and an autonomous mobile object capable of autonomously moving and riding on the passenger conveyor,
The passenger conveyor includes:
A plurality of steps that are connected in an endless manner and move;
A boarding and alighting plate from which the steps are extended or retracted at an entrance where the passengers get on and off the passenger conveyor;
A drive device that moves the steps;
and sign information provided on an upper surface of each of the plurality of steps and an upper surface of the boarding/alighting board, the sign information having position information recorded thereon;
The autonomous moving body is
A drive unit;
a detection unit provided downwardly of the main body and capable of reading the label information;
acquiring position information from the sign information read by the detection unit;
controlling the drive unit to perform travel control, and adjusting a position of the autonomous moving body based on the acquired position information and predetermined position information of the autonomous moving body;
An autonomous mobile object control method comprising:

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